Richard I, Prince of Stassion

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Richard Leonus Stassion Prince of Stassion Reign: 1953 - Present Predecessors: Title Created Successor: Incumbent Prince of Providentia Reign: 1932 - Present Predecessors: Frederick Aurelian Successor: Incumbent Margrave of Stassion Reign: 1942 - 1953 Predecessors: Title Created Successor: Incumbent Count of Stassion Reign: 1932 - 1942 Predecessors: Frederick Achilles Successor: N/A Born: 7th of Godfrey’s Triumph, 1912 Spouse: Ottavia of Pompourelia House: Stassion Father: Frederick II, King of Oren Mother: Mathilde Euphrosine of Leuven Issue: 5

Prince Richard Leonus Stassion, often called Richard of Stassion is the firstborn Son to Frederick II, King of Oren and Mathilde Euphrosine of Leuven. He is the second Prince of Providentia, first Margrave of Stassion and the founder of the Stassion Company alongside his siblings Philip Tiberian and Vivienne Lorena. He is the eldest living son and patriarch of the main-line of House Novellen now called the House of Stassion.

Childhood in Mardon

Born to Frederick II of Oren and his consort Mathilde Euphrosine of Leuven in 1912. Richard Leonus Novellen would be welcomed to this world in a most turbulent time in the Dynasty’s history. Shortly after his birth he would be hidden away and under the guardianship of his aunt, Maude Fredericka of Mardon. Richard would spend his youth under his aunt’s tutelage where she would herself or via a tutor, educate the young prince on all things he would need to know. Kept out of the limelight to ensure his safety, he did not know many his age growing up besides those of Maude’s children to even that was a rare occurrence. Though those he did know would go on to be Sir Baldwin of Mardon, Sir Arthur Verider, and Alaria Verdier, and Sir Antoine of Leuven, most coming from common birth but in time became Richard's most trusted friends and advisors.

Founding of the Stassion Company

While Richard did not have many memories of his parents, he held them always in high regard and close to his heart, though his aunt in his eyes was more a parent to him than any individual. He would escape the perils of the end of Almaris with his kin and arrive at Failor. It was on this island where Richard came into contact with his first real military experience, a true battle. Narrowly avoiding death on two separate occasions fighting the necromancer’s forces, he then traveled back to his kin and settled before GOD had plans for the descendants to travel onwards, this time reaching their now permanent home of Aevos. Alongside his siblings and friends, they would establish the Stassion Company before resettling in the lands of the Archduchy of Petra. While residing in the capital, he would come into contact with Sir Lucien de Rouen the patriarch of House Ashford de Rouen, a legendary house who for a long time was loyal to his kin, while their paths diverged following the end of the Kingdom, Sir Lucien bestowed upon Richard the sword of his grandfather, Conquest.

As Count of Stassion

Upon his formal ascension and appearance to the world, Richard would be named the Fourth Count of Stassion in the year 1932, and he would be given land to construct a homeland to all those loyal to his House and any who wished to start anew. After two years of being the Count of Stassion, Richard alongside his compatriots would begin and complete the construction of Castle Aurelian, the seat and bastion of the mainline of the House of Novellen. In the year 1937 Richard would wed Ottavia of Pompourelia and in the following months they would host a Grand Feast celebrating the completion of Fredericksburg, the quaint township at the foot of Castle Aurelian's mount. While Richard's had only just begun, Stassion would grow tenfold, in the same year, his liege Renilde I of the Petra was crowned as Queen of the Petrans, at this momentous occasion the bannermen of the Stassion Company would show up in force to support her rallying 150 men in attendance. As they marched home with the festivities concluded, the town of Fredericksburg became a bustling hub of commerce and travel. This would only aid in the growth of Stassion as a whole. On the 7th of Horen's Calling, 1938, Richard and Ottavia would welcome their first child into this world, in honor of his father Frederick Aurelian, naming her Aurelia Fredericka Novellen. Towards the end of 1938 Richard would alongside the Monarchs of Petra and Aaun come to an agreement that would see Stassion transferred to the Kingdom of Aaun to allow for greater prosperity and overall growth. This transfer would be officiated upon the Amendment of the Constance River Accords. With Richard and his people now in Aaun, they would hold the Champion's Tourney where many showed in attendance, Richard would bestow his cousin and the Tourney's victor John Sigismund with the Champion's Prize alongside a knighthood. From there Richard would travel back to his castle and begin laying the foundations of future growth and missives imperative to Stassion. As the golden horizon broke on the 12th of Owyn's Flame Richard and his wife Ottavia would welcome their first son and heir to the world, surrounded by kin and friends, the pride of an heir overjoyed Stassion and would welcome a time of growth and prosperity to the western marches the House of Novellen ruled over.

Retaking of the Free-City of Ulyssa

In 1939 Prince Richard received a letter from the mysterious Free-City of Ulyssa, the rumored state founded by Emperor Philip III and Empress Anastasia I. The letter detailed that the lands of the Free-City have fallen to ruin and has taken over by brigands and sellswords owing loyalty to a group of oligarchs. It was then that the Prince and his father Frederick Aurelian gathered a small host of bannermen set sail for the mysterious Free-City. Upon the dawn of the 1st of Horen’s Calling, Prince Richard Novellen with his most loyal bannermen and knights set out to carve out lands for themselves to build a haven for their families and people. Their journey would be perilous but it was imperative that his people flourished both in his realm and this enclave he wished to build. As their ships landed upon the white sands of the southern coasts of Ulyssa, the Prince and his retinue dismounted and wasted no time in establishing a foothold.

Not much was told to Richard besides the stories of his great grandfather’s founding of the Free-City of Ulyssa, but since his departure the lands are rumored to fall into ruin and taken over by outlaws and cutthroats. As their foothold became more defensible, the first scouting parties were sent out to prod the landscape of any defenses to make note of. They would quickly find themselves on the edge of the tree line on the opposing side of the open fields before the Free-City itself. As the scouts returned to Richard’s camp, they reported into him with what they had seen, the rumors were true, the city was in disrepair and guarded by those who clearly were sellswords and cutthroats. The once grand and prosperous Free-City founded by Philip III had fallen from grace, it was with this news that Prince Richard went about setting out plans to take over and restore Ulyssa to its former glory.

As the dawn approached and the sun began to break through the horizon, ravens would be sent to the villages and holdings surrounding the Free-City with orders to return to their loyal liege and to aid them in the fight for the restoration of Ulyssa. Richard patiently waited for replies or reports from his scouts, after the third night came, ravens returned, as news spread through the camp of many local lords flocking to Richard’s Host, cheers could be heard by the men and the Prince himself. His gamble paid off, the first to arrive at the gates of the camp would be a host of Santegian Men-at-Arms from the coastal town of San Augusta. Sir John of Leuvaarden, Prince Richard’s personal Knight made a list of any local township or lord who defied them, which would be marked as the Host’s first targets.

Horns blared, formations would take positions, knights mounted their horses and the Host, much larger than it was when they first landed, marched forth out of their camp taking all that they needed into the countryside around Ulyssa. As they tore through the countryside, plumes of smoke rose in the distance in view from the Free-City, there the captains of city could only look on in despair knowing their corrupted oligarchical way of life would soon be determined when the Prince’s Host turned their sights on the city itself. With each passing day supply lines to the Free-City dwindled and or ceased, most either being destroyed or reassessing their allegiances with merchants knowing the basics of bigger army diplomacy. When the purple and black banner’s waved on nearly every road surrounding the city, Richard marched on Ulyssa. Each passing day since his arrival to these strange shores it has been nothing but mostly carnage and righteous fury against those who took up arms against him, he yearned to return home, and to his surprise when the gates opened without bloodshed, the oppressed and starved people of the city poured out welcoming Richard and his host to take back and restore Ulyssa. Over the next few months the bannermen of Richard's Host rebuilt what they could and established institutions to continue aid and reconstruction. Upon satisfaction being met between Richard, Frederick, and the appointed council of loyalists to the ideals of the Free-City to govern Ulyssa in Richard's stead, the Novellen Host then set sail to return to their homeland and continue their work there, it would only be after the birth of his third child, on the 10th of Godfrey's Triumph that would the Princely Host return to thier home of Stassion.

Promotion to Margraves and the End of Novellen

In 1940 not long after Richard's return to Aevos, the people of Stassion regrouped behind their liege once more and attended the coronation of Edmund II of Aaun. The purple and black banner was raised and the Prince rallied two-hundred(200) of his own bannermen on a rushed notice to attend this event, they made up more than any group or vassal combined at the coronation and court that followed the people of Stassion were rewarded with the promotion to the March of Stassion. in the Year of our Lord 1943, at the discretion of His Highness, Prince Richard Leonus Novellen had received a missive spread throughout the lands by the brigands known as the Ferrymen. Alarmed at first for his family's safety he soon brought forth his council to concoct a plan that would change history as man would know. It would from that evening within Castle Aurelian's council chambers that a missive would be sent out declaring His Household's intentions, it would be titled "The Naming of Stassion", it would be at this moment that in all legal forms as Richard was the mainline Patriarch of the Novellen Dynasty it would henceforth be declared defunct and succeeded by the House of Stassion.

Titles, Styles, Honors and Arms

Titles and Styles

• 1910 - 1932: His Highness, Prince Richard Leonus Novellen
• 1932 - 1938: His Highness, Prince Richard Leonus Novellen, Count of Stassion, Baron of Renzfeld
• 1939 - 1940: His Highness, Prince Richard Leonus Novellen, Count of Stassion, Baron of Renzfeld, Lord of Fredericksburg
• 1941 - 1943: His Highness, Prince Richard Leonus Novellen, Prince of Providentia, Margrave of Stassion, Baron of Renzfeld, Lord of Fredericksburg
• 1943 - 1953: His Highness, Prince Richard Leonus Stassion, Prince of Providentia, Margrave of Stassion, Baron of Renzfeld, Lord of Fredericksburg, Protector of the Marchlands
• 1953 - Present: His Serene Highness, Richard Leonus Stassion, Protector of the Marchlands, Prince of Stassion and Providentia, Duke of the Lowlands and Vienne, Margrave of Westermarch, Baron of Renzfeld, Lord of Fredericksburg

Full title

• His Serene Highness, Richard Leonus Stassion, Protector of the Marchlands, Prince of Stassion and Providentia, Duke of the Lowlands and Vienne, Margrave of Westermarch, Baron of Renzfeld, Lord of Fredericksburg

Arms

Coat of arms of the Novellens of Stassion, commissioned by Prince Richard of Stassion.

Issue

Name	Birth	Death	Marriage
Aurelia Fredericka Stassion	7th of Horen's Calling, 1938	Alive	Unwed	Firstborn daughter of Prince Richard Leonus and Princess-Consort Ottavia Kasimira
Richard Octavian Stassion	12th of Owyn's Flame, 1939	Alive	Unwed	Firstborn son and heir to Prince Richard Leonus and Princess-Consort Ottavia Kasimira
Mathilde Augusta Stassion	8th of Godfrey’s Triumph, 1940	Alive	Unwed	Secondborn daughter to Prince Richard Leonus and Princess-Consort Ottavia Kasimira
Adelheid Helvia Stassion	20th of Harren's Folley, 1942	Alive	Unwed	Thirdborn daughter to Prince Richard Leonus and Princess-Consort Ottavia Kasimira, Twin to Catherine
Catherine Severa Stassion	20th of Harren's Folley, 1942	Alive	Unwed	Fourthborn daughter to Prince Richard Leonus and Princess-Consort Ottavia Kasimira, Twin to Adelheid